Evening Primrose Oil general information

What is Evening Primrose Oil used for?

Evening Primrose Oil capsules 1000mg are used as a dietary supplement for women’s health to provide some essential nutrients that support good health and may help with certain conditions. Evening Primrose Oil supports healthy skin, hair and nails and helps nourish dry flaky skin, a property that promotes its use for eczema1, by nourishing the skin and preventing dryness; also to nourish brittle hair and nails. Evening Primrose Oil capsules are also used to help support hormonal balance during the menstrual cycle. They are thought to help relieve symptoms like breast pain associated with pre-menstrual syndrome cycle2; also to help relieve some menopausal symptoms such as hot flushes3. Other possible uses for Evening Primrose Oil 1000mg include supporting joint flexibility and movement, helping with inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis4.

How does Evening Primrose Oil work?

Evening Primrose Oil capsules 1000mg contain an extract made from the seeds of the wildflower Oenothera commonly known as theEvening Primrose, named for the yellow flowers that bloom in the evening. The Evening Primrose is native to North America, where the root and leaf were traditionally used by Native Americans as both food and medicine. The seeds are a rich source of the polyunsaturated essential fatty acids linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is an omega-6 fatty acid and is an important precursor for making certain chemicals called prostaglandins (PG). GLA can either be obtained directly from dietary sources such as seeds and vegetable oils or it is synthesised by the body from linolenic acid, also obtained from vegetable oils; it then feeds into the metabolic pathway that eventually produces PGE1, which plays a role in several body functions including regulating the immune system. It is important to maintain the right balance of prostaglandin precursors to prevent formation of inflammatory prostaglandins like PGE2, also leukotrienes. This balance can be upset by excessive consumption of saturated fats and alcohol, nutritional deficiencies and using nicotine, which can cause a depletion of beneficial levels of EFAs like GLA. Evening Primrose Oil capsules help provide these important nutrients to ensure that you have sufficient dietary intake of omega-6 fatty acid to promote healthy skin, bones and joints and a healthy immune system.

What does Evening Primrose Oil contain?

Treating eczema with Evening Primrose Oil

Evening Primrose Oil capsules contain an extract made from the seeds of the wildflower Oenothera commonly known as theEvening Primrose that are a rich source of the polyunsaturated essential fatty acids linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is an omega-6 fatty acid and is an important precursor for making certain chemicals called prostaglandins (PG). There is evidence that there is a defect in the enzyme that converts linoleic acid (LA) to gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is further metabolized to dihomo-gammalinolenic acid (DGLA) and this results in low levels of GLA and DGLA, which is the precursor of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), the anti-inflammatory prostaglandin. Supplementation with EPO has been found to increase levels of GLA, which also correlates with improvement in clinical symptoms of eczema1. Evening Primrose Oil capsules may contribute to nourishing dry skin, which makes skin susceptible to becoming inflamed, itchy, or scaly because of allergies or other irritation, and this may help relieve symptoms of eczema.

Evening Primrose Oil for premenstrual syndrome

Evening Primrose Oil capsules are used to help relieve symptoms of premenstrual syndrome, including breast tenderness and feelings of depression as well as irritability and bloating from fluid retention. Evening Primrose Oil capsules contain an extract made from the seeds of the wildflower Oenothera commonly known as theEvening Primrose that are a rich source of the polyunsaturated essential fatty acids (EFA) linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is an omega-6 fatty acid and is an important precursor for making certain chemicals called prostaglandins (PG). GLA is the precursor of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), which is the anti-inflammatory prostaglandin. It is thought that promoting levels of PFE1 by maintaining the balance in EFA may help support hormonal balance during the menstrual cycle and this may be helpful for reducing unpleasant symptoms experienced in premenstrual syndrome, particularly breast pain 2.

What are the side effects of Evening Primrose Oil?

The most commonly reported side effects when taking Evening Primrose Oil include gastrointestinal upset (abdominal pain, indigestion, nausea, softening of stools) and headaches. More serious side effects include inflammation, thrombosis, and immunosuppression, but only if taken for a prolonged period of time (more than one year).

When should Evening Primrose Oil not be used?

You should not use Evening Primrose Oil if you:

are allergic to any ingredients in Evening Primrose Oil

are pregnant or are breastfeeding

have a bleeding disorder or a seizure disorder like epilepsy

have had surgery within 2 weeks

are taking medicines that interact with Evening Primrose Oil, such as the anticoagulant warfarin, the antipsychotic phenothiazine, or some anticonvulsants.

How should Evening Primrose Oil be taken?

You should take your Evening Primrose Oil with a glass of water daily and with food. The dose you take should be as recommended by your health professional and is usually 1-3 capsules daily. You should continue to take your Evening Primrose Oil capsules for as long as recommended by your health professional but they are not intended for long term use.

How long should you take Evening Primrose Oil?

You should continue to take your Evening Primrose Oil capsules for as long as recommended by your health professional but they are not intended for long term use.

Missed dose of Evening Primrose Oil

If you miss a dose of Evening Primrose Oil take it as soon as you remember, unless it is time to take the next dose, then skip the missed dose. Do not take a double dose.